Food Habits and Infant Feeding in Newly Resettled Refugee Families from Chile and the Middle East

Abstract
Food habits and infant feeding patterns of 45 newly resettled refugee families from Chile and the Middle East were studied in the suburbs of Stockholm. The social background of the sample was mixed and the level of maternal education high with the exception of the rural Kurds from Turkey. Children from rural Middle East areas had been breastfed for longer periods than the children from urban areas. Solid and semi-solid foods were introduced late in the Middle East. Chileans had a characteristic meal pattern, emphasizing lunch and often replacing dinner with a light meal. Resettled Chileans and Middle Easterners had a varied and well balanced diet with the characteristics of each culture. Foods containing sucrose were consumed frequently in both refugee groups.